Ozpin's Mercenaries
by LittleSillyGoose
Summary: Sora and his sister are hired by Ozpin to do run-of-the-mill Huntsmen work at a construction site, but Sora finds it odd how much Ozpin pays. No matter how strange their employer is, he has a motive behind each of his decisions. And, Sora is stuck in the middle, trying to figure it out.
1. The Mysterious Employer

_Author's Note: I'll try to make it short._

 _I have many OCs, main or minor, throughout the story. While I tried to stick to Monty's rule for character naming, it eventually became tedious for such a short story. So, I apologize for names with no relations to colors._

 _Although I enjoyed Rooster Teeth's complex weaponry and magic use, I felt it would interfere with the story-telling. So, instead, I will use simple weapons. And, the magic, fueled by Dust, is more similar to sorcerer magic._

 _Thank you to Rooster Teeth for their wonderful work, to my friends for inspiring many of the characters, and to the readers for taking the time to read.  
_

* * *

The bus drove its riders to a large warehouse at the edge of town. Sora felt his stomach turn to knots. Although his employer promised him a large sum of money for this job, the situation was suspicious. The neighboring buildings were all run-down, and the only signs of life in the area were occasional buses, such as the one Sora was riding in. Meeting his employer in an office building or any less eerie place would have comforted him.

Sora had never met his employer, but rumors said Mr. Ozpin was an eccentric oddball with questionable methods. On the other hand, he always paid his employees a fair price. In fact, all the past employees that Sora tracked down gave positive reports. Other than word of mouth, there was little information about the man. Only a few days earlier, an envelope arrived at Sora's home with a letter in rich green ink and a phone number on a business card. The letter was brief. It praised Sora for his top marks in combat school, offered a fee for a big job, and requested his answer via phone.

Fortunately for Sora, he had enough jobs that he didn't need to take on every offer. Initially, he was going to call the number and politely refuse, but he wasn't the only one who had received the letter. His sister Celeste, who had just graduated from combat school at the top of her class, received a letter, too. She never had a job offer before and was eager to start. Despite Sora's pleas to decline, Celeste called the employer and accepted. After some hesitation, Sora picked up the phone as well.

In the bus, Celeste sat far from Sora. He knew she didn't want him there, but he had no choice. This was her first job, and it was so shady.

The bus finally parked, and the driver directed the riders to the door of the warehouse. As soon as everyone was out, the bus driver drove off. Sora frowned. Their means of leaving was gone. The knots in his stomach twisted. He looked around for Celeste. There were a dozen people heading to the warehouse. Celeste was in the front. Of course, she would be. Sighing, Sora hurried after her.

"It's so dark in here," someone said, as they filed in the dimly lit warehouse, "Where is the light switch?"

"I think I found it," someone else said. There was a loud click, and the room illuminated. Except for bits of trash, the room was empty.

"Ah," a voice said, "I see you have just arrived. Come in." A man at the opposite side of the room appeared. He had gray hair, a black suit, and glasses. An emerald green scarf draped around his neck. As the others made their way over, he introduced himself, "My name is Dr. Ozpin. I have invited you here today to help me with a job. As you read in your letter, it will take approximately three weeks to complete. So, I hope everyone is prepared." He glanced at everyone's faces before continuing. "We will begin in 20 minutes. You may leave your belongings in the locker rooms behind me, and the bathrooms are down the hall." He pointed with a cane. From the way he walked, Sora could tell Dr. Ozpin didn't need the cane at all and decided it was only to boost his image of wealth.

Sora went to the locker rooms, where either entrance was labelled by gender. The lockers were huge. Sora had enough space to step inside, which, he suddenly realized, could work against him. He threw his duffle bag in and closed it. The locker asked for a code. He dialed in a set of numbers he could remember. Then, he removed his coat to straighten his chain mail shirt, strapped his twin swords on his belt, and checked his pockets for adequate amounts of Dust.

A large man lumbered passed him. Sora did a double-take. He was in full body armor, and he filled up the whole doorway as he left. Sora had been so concentrated on Celeste that he didn't even look at the people around him. Across from his own locker, a man wore a mask on his face and on the back of his head. At a glance, Sora couldn't tell which way he was facing, because his clothes were identical front and back. A few lockers away, there was an older man with crazy hair and a black suit and bowtie. Surely, he wasn't here for combat. Another man in a long black cloak chose a locker in the corner. Sitting on a bench, he polished a gem at the end of a large conjuring staff. He must be an expert dust-user, but he glared at everyone who came within an arm's length of him. He also glared at Sora for staring. Then, someone else entered the locker room, and Sora's jaw dropped.

He rushed over, yelling, "Nikola!"

The boy turned, "Sora?"

Nikola Planck was an old classmate of Sora. They graduated from combat school in the same year. He was a good student, but his combat was only decent. Sora quickly reminded himself not to make any initial judgments. He hadn't seen Nikola for more than a year. The boy could have greatly improved since graduation.

"How are you?" Sora asked.

"So-so," Nikola replied, "It's been a while since I got a good job like this. When I got the letter, I called Dr. Ozpin right away. How about you? How is Sora Sasaki, the master of magic?"

Sora laughed. It was the reputation he earned while at his old school. He excelled at using minimal dust to conjure advanced magic. That ability alone put him in the top ten of his class. Of course, Celeste had surpassed him by excelling at every subject and even graduating early. The thought of her reminded him why he was here.

"I'm doing alright. I have enough jobs to survive," he said.

"Really?" Nikola said incredulously, "I thought you'd have more jobs than you know what to do with."

Sora waved it off, "No. I don't have that many jobs."

"Listen. Did you hear about Dr. Ozpin? I heard he is going to pair us up into partners for the job. Do you want to be partners?"

"Oh… um…" Sora stammered, "Actually, my sister is here, and it's her first job. So, if we do separate into pairs, I'd hope to be her partner."

"Oh," Nikola said with a note of disappointment.

"I'm sorry. I-"

"No. That makes sense. Good luck on the job." Nikola smiled weakly and went to pick a locker. Feeling a prick of guilt, Sora picked up his coat and left the locker room.

When everyone had returned to the main room in the warehouse, Dr. Ozpin spoke again, "Before you begin your job, I want everyone to find a partner." Immediately, people moved around. The large armored man rushed over to a tiny girl with leather vest and shin guards. She smiled and took his arm enthusiastically. "Hold on," Dr. Ozpin said, "That's not what I meant. As humans, we prefer familiarity, what we know is safe. However, in life, that's not always something in our control. So, your partner will be random, or so to speak."

He walked to the middle of the room and pointed with his cane, "There are four exits in this room. I will choose which door you'll exit. Your task is to go all the way to the temple on the other side of the forest and come back. To ensure you make it to the temple, you must pick a relic sitting on the temple table. The first person you make eye contact with will be your partner, so don't think you can wait at the edge of the forest for your friend to come by. Be warned. The forest is filled with creatures of the Grimm. So, don't waste too much time either." He randomly picked three people for each exit. Sora cursed under his breath, because Celeste was placed on a different exit.

"When you return, dinner will be served," Dr. Ozpin announced, as he heard a grumble in somebody's stomach. "Are there any questions?"

At first, Sora wanted to ask if he could switch exits, but he didn't think Ozpin would agree. Then, he thought of another question.

"Dr. Ozpin," he said, "We've been here for 20 minutes, but you haven't told us what the job is. What exactly are we-"

"Alright then," Dr. Ozpin said, "Go!" he motioned the first person to leave. The person took off, apparently not interested in Sora's question.

"Dr. Ozpin, I want to know what our job is."

The man was too busy studying his watch. Then, he motioned for the next person to leave. Like the last person, she leapt out the door and ran. Maybe Dr. Ozpin was older than he looked and had trouble hearing. As he strode over to Sora's exit, Sora waited until he was close enough.

"Dr. Oz-"

"Go!"

The floor beneath Sora snapped up and threw him out the door. He had been so far from the other exits that he didn't realize the first two people had been forced out. He stumbled but caught his balance. Then, a huge shadow blanketed his. A Nevermore, a giant avian creature of the Grimm, soared behind him. Did Ozpin know a Nevermore was circling the building? Was it on purpose? Was he crazy? Sora glanced at the warehouse, but the door shut in anticipation for the next group. He had nowhere else but the forest.

He bolted, but the Nevermore dove for him at the same time. It closed distance at incredible speed. Behind him, he heard someone grunt as he or she fell out of their exit. He hoped that second person would distract the Nevermore, but it didn't. Its beak sprang open, and the space could easily fit Sora. In the last second, Sora heard the Nevermore shriek. Its beak nipped at his coat. Then, out of nowhere a gust of wind blew Sora off his feet, tumbling into the forest. The same wind blew the Nevermore into the trees, where it collided into branches and let out an ear-shattering scream.

Sora jumped up. In the distance, he saw a lady with a long skirt and enormous sleeves. Her stance told him she had cast that gust of wind. The Nevermore landed on the ground, snapping at Sora. He jumped out of the way, unsheathed one of his swords, and stabbed the bird's head. He took a deep breath and dislodged his sword. It was over. Despite Ozpin's words, he could wait for Celeste.

When he looked up again, the lady with the enormous sleeves disappeared. He stepped out of the forest to search for and thank her, but another enormous shadow covered the ground. It was a second Nevermore. It was too much of a coincidence to be true. Somehow, he felt it was all Ozpin's plan. As much as he wanted to go against it, there was no telling how many Nevermores that crazy man had. He would have to rely on luck and find Celeste in the forest. He turned and ran into the trees.


	2. Terran and Ecru

He didn't know how long he had been moving. To Sora, the trees looked the same. But Dr. Ozpin pointed in this direction when he mentioned the temple. Maybe it wasn't an exact direction. The rumors were right. Ozpin was an oddball with questionable methods. If he had given similar tasks to all his employees, why had they all given positive feedback? Did Ozpin have all the people with bad experiences hunted down? Sora barely knew him and considered it was a possibility.

The boy shook his head. He needed to find Celeste. At first, he considered calling her name, but knowing her, she would run from his voice. He sat down to think and rest. Ozpin had lined her up behind the girl with the enormous sleeves. That meant she should be heading in his direction. He just had to keep an eye out for her and avoid the others. That was easier said than done. Even if he found her, she would refuse to be his partner. Then, all that time searching would be a waste. Celeste was such a pain. He should just look for another partner. He tried to remember where Nikola had been lined up.

Feet shuffled beside him.

Automatically, Sora stood up and called, "Celeste?"

A large wolf-like creature burst through the greenery. It was a Beowolf. Sora jumped back and unsheathed his swords. He struck the creature twice before cutting off its arm. It struck back, knocking him aside. The Beowolf was joined by three more. There were too many to handle with just his swords. Sora needed to use Dust magic, but he was too close. He ran, hoping to put some distance between them. The Beowolves chased him, and they were fast. Sora whispered a spell, reached into his pocket for Dust, and crashed into a person.

"Oh, excuse me," the large man in full armor said. His eyes snapped up to the Beowolves. "Get down," he ordered. His tree trunk arm swept Sora aside. Then, he lifted and swung a large hammer at the first Beowolf. It flew backward and crashed into the one behind it. The hammer swung again and again, knocking down Beowolves like bowling pins. Sora had never seen someone take down so many Beowolves without dust or spells. He may be a good partner.

Sora grabbed some Dust and poured it into the hilt of his swords. It wasn't as powerful as a spell, but it was more than enough. Like a wand, he pointed his left sword. Ice froze one of the Beowolf's legs in place, allowing the armored man to finish it off. He swung his right sword and fire burst out at the other Beowolf. Sora charged forward, freezing the Beowolf with one blade and slashing it with the other. The armored man had just taken down the last Beowolf to see Sora do this move. His jaw dropped.

"You took it down so easily. Why were you running away from them?" he asked.

"I didn't think I needed to use Dust," Sora admitted, "The creatures of Grimm here are bigger and stronger than the ones I usually deal with."

"If you have Dust, use it."

Sora shook his head, "Dust is very useful but I don't carry much." He coughed and muttered, "Thanks for saving me, by the way."

"No problem," the armored man said, lifting his hammer onto his shoulder.

"I suppose we're partners now."

This took the man by surprise.

"Oh… right… the eye thing. Sorry. I was hoping to partner with Ecru."

Sora recalled him running to the tiny girl who seemed really excited to be partners.

"Is she your sister?"

The armored man shrugged, "Sort of. We're good friends, basically family."

Loud growls interrupted their conversation. The chaos of their fight had not gone unnoticed. A small pack of Beowolves appeared in the distance. It was enough distance for Sora to perform his earlier spell. He grabbed small fistfuls of Dust from his pockets. Letting the Dust shed from his hands, he whispered a spell and swirled his hands to create a visible arcane circle. The circle shot forward, collided into the wolf-like creatures, and exploded in a beautiful array of red and blue. The pack lay on the ground, motionless.

The armored man was impressed. "You're really magic-strong. I'd love to be partners." He shook Sora's hand with unintentional force. "My name is Terran."

"I'm Sora," the boy replied, "What about Ecru?"

"Bah! She's friendly. I'm sure she's found a partner already." He motioned for Sora to follow. "C'mon. Let's go to the temple."

As they walked, Sora thought about what Terran said. He hadn't considered the possibility that Celeste had already found a partner. She was a loner, only working with people who helped her study. But it was highly likely she would partner with a complete stranger if it meant avoiding him. The thought put his mind at ease.

Walking beside Terran made Sora feel small, but having a partner who could physically take down a Beowolf was comforting. He wondered if Ecru felt the same way.

* * *

Far from Sora and Terran, a tiny girl wandered around the forest, calling out, "Terran! Terran, it's Ecru. Can you hear me?"

No answer.

Ecru frowned. Terran was nowhere in sight. They had been placed on opposite exits, so she had crossed over to his exit and waited. But it was possible he had done the same thing and missed her. She kept hidden to avoid the Nevermore, and the whole plan to partner together had been ruined.

In an attempt to find him, Ecru climbed a tall tree to look around. It didn't help her search, but she did discover a black device as small as a dime sitting in tree branches. Upon discovering what it was, Ecru had to find Terran and tell him.

"Terran!" she yelled.

In the distance, she heard heavy objects crashing together in what sounded like a battle.

Ecru's face brightened, "Terran!" She hurried toward the battle sounds. As she went, she took out her quarterstaff. If Terran was in trouble, she needed to be ready to take down their enemies. She rushed into the clearing and instead spotted a man in a black cloak battling a large pig-like creature and two younglings. Boarbatusks. Using a conjuring staff as a club, he seemed to holding his own with the bigger one, but the smaller ones were trying to head-butt him.

Ecru charged forward, flicking her quarterstaff at one of the younglings and jabbing the other one. The cloaked man knocked over the large Boarbatusk and stepped back. The gem in his staff glowed.

Catching sight of it, Ecru dove out of the way just in time. He cast a spell, knocking over the Boarbatusks and exposing their bellies. His staff shot black Dust at the large one, and a crushing force bore down on the creature until it stopped moving. Ecru was a little taken aback by his methods, but she supposed it wasn't too different from her own. She took out her dagger and finished off the younglings.

Then, she went over to the cloaked man and stuck out her hand, "Hello, my name is Ecru. I guess I'll be your partner."

"I don't partner with anyone," he said flatly.

"But Dr. Ozpin told us to be partners with the first person you see."

"He can say what he wants. I like working alone."

"He won't pay us for not following his rules."

The cloaked man scoffed, "Your need to follow rules says a lot about you."

Ecru frowned, dropping her hand, "Your need to break the rules says a lot about you."

The man gave a dry laugh, "Smartass. Ozpin's not here to enforce his eye contact rule. And, it doesn't even make sense. Shouldn't people who can work well together be partners? Shouldn't people who work better alone be left alone?"

"I don't think it makes sense either, but I want to be paid for coming out here," Ecru replied. She pulled out the black device from her pocket.

"What is that?"

"It's a camera," Ecru explained, "I found it and several others when I climbed the trees. I wouldn't be surprised if Dr. Ozpin were watching us right now."

The cloaked man picked up the small camera and examined it. His eyes darted to the trees, and then back at Ecru. He sighed and handed the tiny thing back.

"Alright," he said, "Let's go."

"We're partners?" Ecru said ecstatically, "Yay! This is going to be great. You fight kind of like Terran, so working together should be no problem. We might need practice. On the first time I fought beside Terran, his hammer accidentally grazed my head. But that won't happen with you, because I'm a better fighter now."

The man sighed again and muttered, "Lukas."

She leaned over, "Pardon? Lukas?"

"That's my name," he said.

"That's great," she said, "Lukas and Ecru working together and fighting Boarbatusks in the deep forest. Sounds so cool."

"If we're going to be partners, you have to learn to be quiet."

Ecru crossed her arms, muttering, "I should have kept looking for Terran."

"Or you could have run into someone worse. I passed by a guy with two masks. He kept talking to himself in different voices. This job is full of weirdos."


	3. The Mute Lady

Celeste reached the end of the forest. She had encountered several Grimm but dealt with them quickly. She was efficient, an expectation left behind by Sora's school reputation. No doubt, he was trying to find her now, and she couldn't have him babysit her on her first job. But in doing so, she hadn't passed any of Ozpin's other employees. Perhaps, running this far was a bad idea.

She stuck her head out from under the trees, scanning the sky for Nevermores. She didn't see any, but she spotted the run-down temple in the distance. Nothing was in her way, and it was too easy. Celeste was suspicious. If there was a Nevermore around, going out in the open would be risky. But she didn't have a choice.

 _Remember,_ she told herself, _be cautious, not paranoid. Be brave, not impulsive._

She took a deep breath and snuck along the tall grass. Just in case, she pulled out the tome from her backpack. She made it halfway to the old temple when she heard the sound of a tree ripping from its roots. Celeste had no place to hide. She flipped open her tome, ready to cast spells.

A massive ursa tore through the trees and crashed on the ground. A lady with a long dress and enormous sleeves rode on its shoulder. Long wisps of light connected her fingers to the ursa's body like a puppet. Celeste had never seen that before and wanted to learn that technique. She watched as the lady pulled out something from her dress and slashed its neck. Then, she climbed over the massive ursa and noticed Celeste for the first time.

"Hello," Celeste said. She couldn't think of anything else to say and felt lame.

The lady nodded and continued to the temple.

"I… er… That was a really neat trick you did," Celeste said.

The lady gave a weak smile but didn't stop.

Celeste hurried over to her, "My name is Celeste."

The lady nodded her head to the temple.

Celeste bit her lip, "Do you… talk?"

But the lady ignored her and inspected the run-down temple.

Celeste sighed, "Of course, I get a powerful partner, but she doesn't talk. There's always something." She decided learning the puppet move was a lost cause.

She followed the mute lady into the temple, where a large stone table sat at the far end. Celeste hadn't been to a temple before, but she figured idols or divine figurines would sit on the table. Instead, there was a chess piece, a wooden hammer, a plastic screwdriver, and a small whistle. Celeste was unimpressed. These weren't relics; these were bits of junk from someone's old toy box.

She picked up the wooden hammer, "This is lame. We should leave." However, her partner studied the carvings on the wall with great interest. Most of the pictures had faded away, but she could still make out a few shapes and patterns.

"What?" Celeste asked, "Do you like this place?" Her eyes kept straying to the enormous hole in the ceiling. No matter how she looked at the temple, it looked like a dump. She didn't understand why her partner was so fascinated. "Are you done yet?" Celeste called over her shoulder. Her partner emerged beside her. "Good," the girl said, "Let's go. We've wasted enough time here." She slipped the wooden hammer in her backpack, and they returned to the forest.

"I figured by now you don't talk," Celeste said, "But can you write? I would like to know your name eventually."

The lady whispered something, but it had caught Celeste off guard and she didn't hear it.

"What?"

The sound of rushing feet interrupted them. Celeste reached over her shoulder and took out her tome. She didn't know if it was an employee or a monster, so she hid behind a tree.

Her partner took note of Celeste's movements and hid as well. Her hand dug into a pouch at her hip, waiting on the Celeste's command. The sounds grew louder until two people flew passed them. They were a short girl with a quarterstaff and a tall man in a black cloak. Five ursai chased after them.

"Hurry to the opening," Lukas ordered, "I need more space."

In the clearing, Lukas whirled, Dust in his hand, and waved his staff. The spell flew forward, knocking the two bigger ursai down but missing the smaller ones. Ecru charged, striking one in the throat and hitting the second in the belly. But the third one ambushed her, swiping its claw. Ecru blocked but fell flat backward. Blood ran down her hand.

Celeste's partner dashed out of the bush. With a fistful of Dust in her hand, she burned the ursa standing above Ecru. It roared in pain. The mute lady did not hesitate. She blazed fire at the three smaller ursai until they were fleeing.

Meanwhile, Lukas was battling the bigger ursai, and he was winning. He threw Dust and cast spells, but he was running out. He adjusted his staff like a baseball bat and hit one with such force that he crushed its skull. Then, he turned to take out the other one, but it had slipped passed him.

"Yolanda, look out!" he yelled.

The mute lady turned in time to dodge a fatal attack. But it had caught hold of her and tossed her into the air.

Celeste shot to her feet. With her tome in one arm, she chanted a spell. Ink symbols on the page jumped up and circled her free hand. Energy shot out of Celeste's palm, blasting a giant hole in the ursa. She closed her hand, and the remaining ink symbols returned to the page. Meanwhile, Lukas swirled his staff. The crystalline Dust, shrunk from use, glowed. Before the mute lady hit the ground, she was suspended in the air for a few seconds, allowing her to land softly.

Then, Lukas resumed his nonchalant manner, "Yolanda, are you okay?"

The mute lady, called Yolanda, smiled.

Ecru sat up, still trying to catch her breath. "You know, for someone who loves to work alone, you don't strike me as one for friends."

"I have friends," Lukas snapped, insulted. "Well, Yolanda and I aren't friends. We talked on the bus."

Ecru shrugged. She turned to Yolanda and smiled, "Hello, Yolanda. My name is Ecru."

She waited for Yolanda to respond, but she didn't.

"She doesn't talk too much," Lukas explained, "She's your opposite."

Ecru glared but ignored him. She took out some bandages to wrap up her hand. The wound wasn't too bad. She just needed to wash it off later. Yolanda scooted over and took out another bit of Dust. With a flick of her wrist, the dust turned to water and rinsed Ecru's hand.

"Wow! Thank you," Ecru said. Yolanda smiled. With a quick shake to dry it, Ecru picked up the bandage and did a quick wrap around her hand. "By the way, who's your partner?" She looked over to the trees for Celeste.

Actually, Celeste didn't want anything to do with them, but Lukas had actually talked to Yolanda. So, it was best to make an effort at socializing. If they didn't like her, she tried. She stepped out of the forest and casually waved her hand, "Hello, I'm Celeste."

The small girl rushed over to shake her hand, "Hello, Celeste, I'm Ecru!" She then gestured to the man behind her, "If you haven't met him before, that's Lukas." Celeste was on the lower side of the height spectrum, but she was a head taller than Ecru.

"Ecru!" a voice called.

Ecru snapped up and ran toward the voice, "Terran! I'm here."

A large pillar of a man emerged from the forest. He caught sight of Ecru. They exchanged excited expressions. Then, she jumped up to embrace him. Her feet dangled in their joyful hug.

Celeste frowned, _the more, the merrier._ She immediately regretted that thought. Sora stood behind Terran. He spotted Celeste and looked relieved.

"Thank goodness, you're alright," he said.

"Did you expect me to be in danger without you around?" she snapped, crossing her arms.

Sora made a sound of exasperation. He didn't want to get into a fight with her, so he didn't respond.

"The temple is over there," she said, "I've already got a relic, so Yolanda and I are leaving." She turned to head back into the forest. Yolanda smiled and waved at Lukas, following her.

Terran and Ecru were still in their hug, but they were staring at Sora. Noting the bandage on her hand, Terran gently put his friend down.

"A little tension, huh? If you don't mind, how do you know her?" He asked.

Sora sighed, "She's my sister."


	4. Beowolf Battle

In the temple, Sora inspected the relics on the stone table. In chess, the queen was considered the most useful piece in the game. He picked it up and slipped it in his coat pocket while Ecru took the plastic screwdriver.

"This must be the relic," she said, "It's so out of place in this temple."

"Your skills of observation shock me," Lukas mumbled. His eyes focused on the giant hole in the ceiling.

"And, you complain that _I_ talk too much," Ecru replied.

"You do."

Ecru didn't say anything. She joined Terran at the temple entrance, where Terran had to duck his head.

Sora turned to Lukas, "Are you guys friends?"

"Does it look like we're friends?" Lukas responded, "No, we just met an hour ago."

"Oh. Well, you seem to be getting better along than me and my sister."

"Hardly," Lukas said, "That girl won't shut up." Ecru was in deep conversation with Terran, talking and waving her hands wildly. Then, she pulled out a small black object from her pocket and handed it to Terran to examine. He rubbed his chin, deep in thought.

"At least, she wants to talk to you. Celeste doesn't want anything to do with me. She thinks I came along to babysit her."

"Did you?" Lukas asked.

"No, I just came to make sure she was okay. I mean, this is her first job and…"

"Sounds like babysitting to me."

"Shut up! Just… forget I said anything," Sora said, turning to leave the temple. "I've got the relic," he told Terran, "We should head back to the warehouse."

"Roger that," Terran replied, lifting his hammer onto his shoulder again.

"We can walk back together," Ecru suggested. "Four is better than two." Sora agreed, but he had a feeling she just wanted to hang out with Terran. They had left the temple and were heading back when explosions erupted above the trees.

The knot in Sora's stomach twisted.

"That's one of Celeste's spells," he said. He dashed into the trees. Terran hurried after him.

"They can waste their time," Lukas said, "I'm not getting involved."

"Yes, you are," Ecru said. Despite his protests, she snatched his wrist and ran after them.

It didn't take them long to reach the battlefield. A throng of Beowolves, maybe thirty, surrounded two back-to-back girls. Yolanda used her fire to thwart them while Celeste flipped a few pages of her tome. She chanted, and a block of ink symbols rose from the page. She was about to cast a powerful spell.

A Beowolf caught Sora's scent and lunged at him. Sora took out his sword and slashed its arm. The others took this as a sign to begin attack. They charged, swinging their weapons at the Beowolf circle. This caught the girls by surprise. Celeste stopped chanting and shut the tome on the symbols like squishing bugs.

"Nevermind," she told Yolanda, "Just fight them."

The six of them battled the Beowolves. Each used their special weapons and abilities. Terran knocked down a Beowolf, allowing Sora space to get to the girls.

"Are you two alright?" he asked.

"We're fine," Celeste snapped, "To your right."

Sora slashed an oncoming Beowolf with his sword. In the instant he glanced back, Celeste had slipped on her leather gloves with steel knuckles and protruding nails. She jumped up and stabbed the nails in a Beowolf's eye.

Meanwhile, Ecru's injury weakened her grip on the quarterstaff. A simple block from a heavy claw sent numbing pain on her hand. She grunted and stumbled, giving the Beowolf time to swipe at her. Ecru slammed against a tree.

"Ecru! Someone cover Ecru!" Sora yelled, but everyone else was busy. Terran, who looked horrified, was taking on three Beowolves at once. Sora bounded out of the circle and struck the Beowolf. Ecru dropped her quarterstaff and took out a dagger to stab an oncoming Beowolf.

"I'm fine," she insisted, "Don't worry about me."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Sora whirled around to return to Celeste, but she fought beside Yolanda with such vigor and preciseness that he wasn't worried. It was Lukas that was in trouble. Two Beowolves had him on the retreat. Their attacks were too fast; he could only block them.

"Lukas, I'm coming!" he yelled.

"I don't need your help!" Lukas shot back.

Sora rushed over, but Terran and the three Beowolves blocked his way. He had to help take down a Beowolf before he could go through. He was too late. Celeste, upon hearing Lukas, grabbed a Beowolf spine and struck it several times in the side. It roared with each impact. With the extra time, Lukas knocked down the other Beowolf and clubbed its bloody skull. Celeste leapt up and gave a finishing blow to the Beowolf's face.

"Yolanda is starting a spell!" Lukas announced, "Everyone, out of the way!"

Yolanda blazed an enormous fire. Most of the Grimm had the sense to run, but a few still tried to attack her. Sora had no idea how the mute lady was able to keep such a giant flame going. It occurred to him that she might be running out of Dust, so an idea crossed his mind.

"Yolanda, keep that fire going!" he ordered, "Celeste, help her make it stronger. Everyone else, move your Beowolves to the fire. We're going to take them all out at once!"

With Ecru and Terran, it was easy to round up the Beowolves. Even though she was injured, Ecru was fast. She circled the Beowolves and thwarted them with a dozen slashes from her dagger. Terran's hammer extended his arm span and pushed the Beowolves closer. In the corner of Sora's eye, Celeste had taken out her tome again. The ink symbols ignited and burned the fire stronger and brighter.

"Ready?" Sora yelled.

"Ready!" Celeste shouted. With Celeste's extra power, the fire expanded to take out everything in its path. It enveloped the last Beowolf in their trap and suddenly halted. Then, the fire shrunk, as if sucked back inward, and disappeared with a cloud of smoke. The only evidence was a large burn mark on the ground.

Yolanda collapsed to her knees, worn out. Ecru leaned against a tree and nursed her hand. Terran took off his helmet to wipe his sweat-soaked forehead. Celeste stood as if she hadn't broken a sweat. Sora was impressed. Maybe he didn't need to worry about her as much as he thought he did.

"We can rest for a little while," Celeste said, "but we should head back to the warehouse soon. Five minutes, people."

Lukas groaned, "Who put you in charge?"

"We'll rest until everyone's ready," Sora decided.

"But we should return to the warehouse soon," Celeste urged. "I don't want to be the last one to come back."

"Who cares if you're last?" Lukas snarled.

"I care!"

Sora stepped between them, "There're five other people here, Celeste. I assure you won't be last. Besides, we just took down twenty or thirty Beowolves. I'm sure we can handle whatever else this forest throws at us."

"How optimistic," Lukas muttered.

Sora turned to him, "Is your sole purpose to piss people off?"

Lukas shrugged, "Maybe."

"He's right," Celeste said, "He and Yolanda are out of Dust. Unless you and I are willing to share what little Dust we have left, we're pretty vulnerable." Sora glanced at Lukas and Yolanda, who confirmed her words.

"Oh," he said, "I didn't know."

"You should pay attention," Celeste argued. "Then, you would know that before you stormed in and made your heroic entrance, I had the Beowolves right where I wanted them. The situation was under control. But you, no doubt, think I need someone to always watch over me."

"Celeste, we're not going to have this fight," Sora replied, "Not now. Not here."

"I had the situation under control," Celeste assured.

Sora huffed, "I'm sure you did."

But this didn't convince Celeste at all. She stormed off to the other side of their burned mark and sat against a tree. Feeling she wanted to be left alone, Sora didn't bother her. He waited until everyone was rested enough to leave.


	5. Rule Breaking

The warehouse smelled of fresh baked potatoes and seasoned chicken. The six of them were so exhausted that they barely checked the sky for Nevermores before crossing the clearing. Although no one said anything, they paused for a second and let Celeste walk in first. Food was spread across a long table, but no one sat there.

Dr. Ozpin was having a deep conversation with two people by the far wall. Sora recognized the man with two masks, but it was the first time he took notice of the girl. He wondered how he hadn't noticed her before, because she had green hair and a hat too small for her head.

Ozpin looked up, "Ah. You've arrived. Please, wash up and get ready for dinner. I will talk to you later."

With their eyes to the plates, the six of them made their way to the locker rooms. There were showers in the back. Seeing Terran have to remove every bit of armor plating, Sora was glad he only wore chain mail. He was the first one in the shower and the first one out. Ozpin was still talking to the masked man and the green-haired girl. He sat at the long table, where two women were talking.

"There were twelve of us, right?" one of them said, "I wonder what's taking the last two so long?"

"Maybe they got lost," the other suggested.

"You don't think they…?"

"What? Died?"

"No chance," Ecru said, appearing out of nowhere and joining the table. She pulled out a little black device from her pocket. "Excuse me, my apologies for interrupting... The whole forest had cameras. I believe Dr. Ozpin was watching us the whole time."

The second woman looked stunned, "Why?"

Ecru shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe it's for safety."

"Or maybe it's to follow the rules, right, Ecru?" Ozpin said, approaching the table.

Sora noticed he had heard them from a distance. Ozpin didn't have a hearing problem like he originally thought.

"Uh…um…" Ecru stammered, also surprised he had heard her, "Right…"

Behind Ozpin, the green-haired girl had a frightening scowl. The masked man crossed his arms and made a low hissing sound. Ozpin seemed to ignore them and greeted Terran, Lukas, and Celeste.

"Right," Dr. Ozpin said, clapping his hands together. "Sit down and look at the screen."

"I prefer to stand," the green-haired girl said with narrowed eyes.

"Whatever you like."

Sora turned to a screen, which had been set up at one end of the room. He didn't know who put it there, but he doubted Ozpin did it by himself. The screen turned on and showed a dense area of trees. They were looking through a camera lens in the forest. The masked man appeared on screen, walking and muttering. It was quite a sight. He exchanged words in a high-pitched, docile voice and a snappy, gruff voice.

Suddenly, Lukas crossed his path. They paused, clearly making eye contact. The masked man pulled out his daggers, and Lukas responded by lifting his conjuring staff. A tense moment crossed between them. Finally, the masked man swung his dagger. Dust spilled from his sleeve and exploded, creating a dark smoke screen. They could see Lukas backing up, as the smoke blocked the camera's view. By the time the smoke had cleared, both were gone.

Then, the screen cut to another view of the forest.

A voice called, "Terran! Hello?"

Ecru perked up, "It's me."

Sure enough, Ecru appeared on screen. She called Terran's name again and stopped to listen. At some point, she looked directly at the camera, and Sora was certain she had spotted it.

Beside him, Ecru pointed, "Look." Sora had to squint at the screen. In the distance, he could see the green-haired girl camouflaged in the background. She was watching Ecru intensely. After a long moment, she turned and disappeared.

Ecru gasped, "I didn't even see her."

"But she did see you," Dr. Ozpin said, as he shut off the screen. "It is important that you follow my orders on this job. The fact that you can't do a simple task as getting a partner means you are unqualified for the job."

"That's unbelievably stupid," the green haired girl said. "I retrieved the first relic for you without needing a partner. That should prove that I am capable of doing this job."

"That was not the point of the assignment, Miss Duela," Dr. Ozpin replied. "Because you took a relic without a partner, the last team to reach the temple had no relic to retrieve. I've already sent a pair of Huntsmen to find them."

"They were too slow," Duela countered, "They should be fired, not me."

"I stand with my decision," Ozpin said simply, "You may stay for dinner, but you are dismissed." Duela growled and stomped to the locker rooms. Ozpin turned to the masked man, "I have the same to say for you, Mr. Dorsett."

Dorsett stood still with his daggers glinting in the light. Then, he lunged at Ozpin. Everyone stood up from the table, but Ozpin blocked Dorsett's dagger with his cane. Dorsett didn't back down. He swung, twisting and turning in unnatural acrobatics, but didn't make a hit. Sora watched with fascination. Ozpin was remarkably agile. They sparred until a lady in a purple cape entered the room. Snatching Dorsett, she threw him and his belongings out the door. The heavy door slammed shut. Then, the lady in the purple cape returned to the door she had emerged from. In his seat, Sora caught a sliver of an office.

Duela appeared from the locker room with a large briefcase, "Where is the closest bus stop?"

"Two blocks down the road," Ozpin instructed, "Before you go, would you like to take some food for the road?"

"No, thank you," Duela snapped. She whirled and headed out the door. She almost crashed into two people on her way out. It was Nikola and the old man with a suit and bowtie. Sora had completely forgotten about Nikola. They were the last team. Duela gave them a sour look and pushed passed. The heavy door slammed again.

Dr. Ozpin dusted his hands, "Well, since we're done with that, I would like to announce your new teams. Originally, I had planned to have three teams of four, but circumstances have changed." He gestured for the last team to join the table. Sora noticed Yolanda was sitting across from him. He hadn't even notice her enter the room. Ozpin continued, "Taylor Maclaurin. Harper Collins." He nodded to the two women. "You will be partners with Nikola Planck and Kolla Voce. I will address you as team THNK. Your leader is Taylor." The four were quite surprised by this, but they nodded and shook hands.

Ozpin then turned to the others, "My other team will contain six members: Sora Sasaki, Yolanda Doulos, Lukas Naughton, Ecru Toile, Nami Sasaki-"

"I go by my middle name, Celeste."

Sora nudged his sister.

"Excuse me," Ozpin apologized, "…Celeste Sasaki and Terran Pauper. You will be called team SYLENT. Your team leader is Sora."

Celeste jumped up from the table, "What?"

"I'm sorry. Do we have another problem?"

She pointed at Sora, "Why is he team leader?"

"Because I have decided it," Ozpin said simply.

"That's not a good reason," Celeste argued.

"If you can't agree to my decisions, you may leave," Ozpin gestured to the door. Celeste froze, unable to speak. Ozpin gave slight bow, "Enjoy your dinner."

As he left the room, Celeste sat down with disgust on her face. Sora knew she wasn't talking to him for a while. Admittedly, he was as surprised as her to be picked team leader. Had his actions in the forest determined this? He wasn't ready to lead a bunch of strange people for a mysterious job. His instinct told him to confront Ozpin and convince him to choose someone else.

Ecru stood up and rang her arm around Terran's neck, "See? I told you they'd see how good we work together and put us into a team. You and me. We're unstoppable."

"We only worked together for a bit," Terran pointed out. "But I think he was impressed that you found the cameras."

"Impressed says the guy who… I'm sorry. How many Beowolves did you take down on your own?"

"Eleven."

Ecru clapped his back, "Eleven! This guy took down eleven Beowolves without a speck of Dust. I'd say that is impressive."

They both laughed, high fived each other, and started eating. Without his armor, Terran looked younger. He was cleanly shaven and had gentle eyes. His brown hair was a darker shade at the root. Ecru looked skinnier without her leather. The lack of armor made them both look strangely normal. If Sora had seen them in the city, he would have mistaken them for average hard-working citizens, not warriors against the Grimm.

Lukas and Yolanda sat across from him. Yolanda switched to a simple dress. She played with her food before eating it, tracing the lines of the vegetables and potatoes. Lukas exchanged his thick black cloak for a comfortable brown cloak. With his hood down, he displayed a mess of curly locks and a slight stubble on his jaw. He insisted on cutting up his food into tiny pieces before eating it. When Ecru pointed it out, he shot back insults. He muttered something to Yolanda. She giggled. Her cheek turned a slight shade of pink.

Watching them, they didn't seem as weird as Sora's first impression of them. He felt slightly better about being team leader, even if he still knew next to nothing about their job.

* * *

 _Author's Note: This is the end of Part 1. I recently lost my USB with all my work in it, so I apologize if it takes a little longer to continue uploading._

 _Here are my main characters with color meanings. Next, I have my two unnamed minor characters._

 _Sora = sky._

 _Yolanda = Violet (flower)._

 _Lukas = light._

 _Ecru = light beige._

 _Nami = water. Celeste = light blue._

 _Terran = earth._

 _The green haired girl's name is Duela Dartmouth, based off of DC's Duela Dent._

 _The masked man's name is Byzantium Dorsett, based off of Sybil and Soul Calibur's Voldo._


	6. Team Leader

Team SYLENT rode on another bus to another unknown destination. This time, Sora felt better, because Dr. Ozpin had given them some instructions.

"Your job is to protect the construction workers from the Grimm as they fix a defective wall," he said. "You and two other teams will take 8-hour shifts around the clock. Ms. Goodwitch will be your overseer."

The caped lady hustled them out of the warehouse before Sora could learn about team THNK's job. Nikola was a good person, but he sometimes lost his composure and panicked. Sora tried not to think about it, because he couldn't help him. Team THNK probably had the same job in a different location, but Sora had a feeling that Ozpin had more operations than he led on.

"Uh-huh," Celeste said, scribbling on a notebook. "And, do you have any other weapons with you?"

"I have a sword," Lukas replied.

"Is it just a sword? Or does it use Dust?" she inquired.

"It can, but I have my staff."

"If we have time later, you must show me."

Lukas huffed, "Is that really necessary?"

"Yes, it's necessary!" Celeste snapped. "How is team SYLENT supposed to be most effective if we don't know each other's capabilities?"

"Are you guys already fighting?" Sora said, scooting over to interrupt.

Lukas turned away, "Your sister is interrogating me."

"I'm not interrogating you!" Celeste yelled. "Ozpin wants us to guard a wall around the clock. That means Grimm attacks are not a rarity. And, to make this team more effective, I need to know what each of you is capable of. Then, maybe we can be a team and guard each other's weaknesses."

"Oh, you want to know my weakness?" Lukas replied, leaning in, "Nothing."

"How can you have no weaknesses?" Celeste snapped.

"What's your weakness?"

For the first time, Celeste couldn't answer. Lukas had a satisfied smile, which ticked her off even more. "At least, I'm trying to improve, instead of being a loner like you! I may not be the leader, but I-at least- am trying to come up with strategies to avoid trouble."

"You're a bit forceful, but it's a good idea," Sora commented.

"Shut up!" his sister hissed.

He wasn't making fun of her. Sora honestly thought that was a good idea. That kind of thinking would make her a good leader, and he felt ashamed for not coming up with it.

"Come over here," Terran said, waving Celeste over, "You can ask me and Ecru anything."

Celeste moved to the front row. She was intimidated by Terran's size and uncomfortable with Ecru's excess energy. But they politely waited for her first question.

Celeste pressed her pencil on the page, "Now, Terran, I saw you use a hammer earlier. Do you use any other weapons?"

"I have a mace with me," he explained, "but it's not as easy to carry as a hammer. And, I know how to use a double-headed axe, but I don't have one with me."

"Good to know," Celeste said, scribbling everything down, "How about you, Ecru?"

"I fight with my quarterstaff and dagger," she replied, "but Terran taught me how to use a hatchet. I could use that as a weapon."

"A hatchet is useful," Celeste agreed. "Now, neither of you carry around Dust, which means you're not Dust-users. So, I advise you stay around one of the others during far-range combat."

"I'm not," Terran said, dropping a hand on Ecru, "but Emmy is a Dust-user."

"Not really," Ecru said with embarrassment, "I only know one spell."

"The most useful spell for fighters like us."

Celeste was curious, "What is it?"

"Well," Ecru said, "I can make shields to repel Dust. It's kind of like an anti-spell… spell. It's not very strong, but it's saved our lives more than once."

Celeste listened as Ecru described it in detail. It was a pretty basic spell, but it had a strong level of resistance. She didn't doubt the tiny girl had tirelessly practiced it for years. It could probably rival any shield she or Sora could create. Although knowing one spell hardly qualified Ecru to be a Dust-user in her eyes, she noted it would be useful.

"But your spell would require Dust," Celeste said.

Ecru laughed, "Oh, that's right. I carry a pouch on my belt." She opened the flap to show bits of dark Dust.

"That's great," Celeste said, "Okay. Here's a hard question: what are your weaknesses?"

"Brute force," Ecru said immediately.

"Mine is speed. That's why we're always together," Terran explained, "We cover each other's weaknesses. I got her back, and she has mine."

Ecru brightened, "Right?" They both gave cheesy grins. A silent word passed between them. They started some game, where they struck ridiculous poses at each other. Their laughter bubbled. Celeste watched quietly. She didn't know why, but a stab of jealousy shot through her body.

* * *

Outside the window, Sora could see a high wall in the distance. There wasn't a speck of greenery on this side, but trees and mountains grew beyond the wall. They looked nothing more than shrubs and anthills. He spotted Yolanda gliding her finger along the window as though tracing the scenery. For a while, he watched as she dragged her finger around in practiced motions. It was so graceful, almost calming.

He leaned forward and said, "Do you like to draw, Yolanda?"

She smiled but returned to the window.

Sora swallowed, "Okay…"

Lukas's hand landed on his shoulder, whispering, "Give her time. Let her be comfortable. She'll start talking soon."

Sora nodded, "Alright."

After his conversation with Ecru that morning, Sora was surprised that Lukas was so polite. He thought Lukas would be as hostile as he was with Celeste. "You don't seem to have a problem with me," he blurted.

Lukas raised a brow, "Why would I?"

"I talked to Ecru this morning," Sora explained. "She said you had something against authority. Since I was appointed the leader, I thought you would take issue with it."

"That girl keeps getting me wrong," Lukas murmured, "No, I'm not against authority. I'm against people who always follow the rules. A leader can change; rules can only be changed by people. A leader considers individuals and special cases, but rules assume everyone is the same. My grudge isn't against people who push others to act but people who blindly follow rules. That's what Ecru does."

"Oh," Sora said, "Then, why do you have a problem with Celeste?"

"Not with her specifically," Lukas explained, "Just with the way she talks. She sounds like she's talking from a book." He smiled. "And, as you've said, she's forceful."

"I should talk to her about that."

Lukas scratched his head, "Is she going to listen to you?"

"Maybe not," Sora said, "but I should try."

"You've got my respect for trying," Lukas retorted. "But if you're having problems, ask someone she gets along with to talk."

Sora frowned. Celeste wasn't good with friends. In order to reach the top of her graduating class, she withheld her social life. She was always surrounded by books. If anything, her books were her friends. But Lukas didn't say friend, just someone she gets along with. Sora had to think hard.

"She seems to be alright with Yolanda," he said finally, "but I don't think Yolanda talks to her, yet."

Lukas rubbed his chin, "We'll work with what we have."

Sora shrunk. Lukas spoke with calm and wit. They were good qualities for a good leader. Maybe Lukas should be the leader.


	7. Faunus Part 1

"Look!" Ecru yelled.

Far off, the wall had a huge gap of bricks. From the sight of it, Sora guessed something had breached the wall. So, construction had to tear down the broken bits and rebuild the whole section.

"That is where you will be working," Ms. Goodwitch announced.

The bus slowed to a stop beside an old house. Ms. Goodwitch and Team SYLENT gathered their things and climbed off the bus. As soon as they did, a group of four climbed on and unloaded supply crates. Then, they picked up their things and settled in their seats. The bus driver hurried to the restroom, stretched her legs, and then returned to the bus to drive away. The members in the bus waved to Team SYLENT.

"Bye!" Ecru yelled, waving wildly.

"Do you know them?" Sora asked.

"No," she said.

Goodwitch had left them outside while she entered the old house. The wood and paint were chipping off the porch. In fear of splinters, Sora didn't touch anything. However, Terran and Ecru sat on a dirty bench and contently stared at the giant wall.

"From this distance," Ecru said, "you can't really tell how many construction workers there are. But they've made good progress. Do you think it's going to take three weeks to finish that wall?"

"Probably not," Terran said. "Ozpin might say three weeks in case we have a setback."

Goodwitch opened the door, "You can come in now." The six filed in. The house was simple: a kitchen on the left, a lounge room on the right, a hallway of rooms in the back, and another hallway of rooms on the second floor. Another team sat in the lounge room.

"Team SYLENT, this is Team ROYL. Team ROYL, this is Team SYLENT," Goodwitch introduced, swishing her crop between the two. "Team ROYL handles the graveyard shift, and Team SYLENT will take over the morning shift."

A girl jumped up from her chair to shake their hands, "Good afternoon. My name is Linnet. I'm the leader of Team ROYL." On the top of her head, a pair of pointed dog ears perked in delight.

At first, nobody said anything. They just stared. Then, Sora stepped forward to shake her hand, breaking the tension.

"Hi," he said, "My name is Sora." He motioned to the others. "This is Yolanda, Terran, and Ecru. Celeste is at the far end, and the one in the back is Lukas."

Linnet shook hands with everyone then pulled her teammates to their feet. The others, especially a boy with a curly monkey tail, had half-open eyes and messy hair. But they politely shook hands and introduced themselves as Ruyi, Oberon, and Yue.

"Excuse us," Linnet said at the end, "You arrived during our off hours. I apologize for the way my team looks."

"No, not at all," Sora said.

Team ROYL then climbed up the stairs and returned to their rooms.

When they were out of hearing range, Terran turned to Ms. Goodwitch, "They're Faunus."

"Yes," she confirmed, "They are Faunus. You won't be working with them, but you will be living with them. Do you have any issues with this arrangement?" She gave them such a terrifying glare that nobody said anything. "Good. Your shift is from 6AM to 2PM. Your rooms are down the hall. I will see you at dinner."

They entered the hallway without a word. But Terran wasn't done. After he checked for Goodwitch, he said to the others, "Can you believe she's got us living with Faunus?"

"I can't believe Dr. Ozpin would hire Faunus in the first place," Ecru commented.

"It doesn't make sense," Celeste muttered. "They don't have a good record of working well with humans."

"Who cares?" Terran hissed, "We're living with animals!"

"I've worked with them before," Lukas remarked. "If you leave them alone, they'll leave you alone."

Ecru shrugged, "Maybe you just worked with the nice ones."

Sora finally snapped, "Are you listening to yourselves? They just introduced themselves and shook our hands. These people are civilized. Don't you understand? They're not that different from you or me."

Terran gave him a look of disgust, "You're okay with this?"

"Why not? They haven't given us a reason to hate them."

Terran scoffed, "They're Faunus. They'll give us a reason soon enough."

"Forget Ozpin and Goodwitch!" Sora yelled, adjusting his bag strap and heading to a room, "I can't believe any of you! I want to be left alone." He slammed the door behind him and crashed on the bed. His bag hit the floor.

For a while, he listened to his teammates. Low voices muttered back and forth. Feet shuffled around. Doors swung open and shut. He gazed at the bed beside him and realized someone was going to share his room soon. Not sure who was going to walk through the door, he waited.

Gradually, the noise died down, but no one showed up. Sora could only hear quiet murmurs in the next room. At least, the walls were thick enough to prevent eavesdropping. Sora almost dosed off when someone knocked on the door.

Sora sat up, "Come in." He expected it to be Terran or Lukas or even Celeste. He was shocked to see Yolanda in the doorway. She wasn't carrying her luggage, but she sat on the other bed.

"I guess I can't be mad at you," he said, "since you didn't say anything."

She smiled and replied, "That is the benefit of being quiet."

Sora chuckled. Her voice was as quiet as a whisper, and Sora had to tilt his head to hear her properly.

"What do you think about Faunus?" he asked.

Yolanda cleared her throat to speak slightly louder, "I think they are just misunderstood."

"I've never met a Fauna before," Sora explained. "But I think their history is pitiful. I think they deserve better. If I were them, I'd start a war as well."

"It never starts out as a war," Yolanda said.

Sora blinked. For a moment, he forgot what they were talking about.

"Er… right," he said, "I suppose I should apologize to the team."

"You can," she said, "but there's no need to." Yolanda seemed so certain about her words that Sora believed her.

He rubbed his shoulder, where the bag strap left an imprint. "I'm glad."

They were quiet for a while. Then, Yolanda got up and headed to the door. "See you at dinner."


	8. Faunus Part 2

For dinner, team ROYL was clean and alert. They had the graveyard shift and began work at 10pm. Already at the table, Lukas talked to Linnet about odd jobs in Remnant. When Sora entered the room, Lukas mentioned a walrus, and Linnet laughed. In the other room, Ms. Goodwitch stood up and approached Sora.

"Besides protecting the construction workers, your team needs to deliver dinner to team SCAR. They are the team currently on watch. I suggest you take turns in pairs," she explained.

"Good idea," Sora said, "I guess I'll go first and meet them."

Goodwitch nodded, "Where is your partner? Ah, Terran!" She strutted to the hallway, where Terran and Ecru emerged. "You will be accompanying Sora to deliver food to team SCAR."

"Yes, Ma'am," he said.

"Follow me," she waved Terran and Sora to the kitchen.

Ecru stood awkwardly in the hallway for a moment, then joined Lukas and Linnet at the table. Sora caught Terran's eye on her, wary of the fauna. He motioned to get Terran's attention, and the two of them entered the kitchen to pick up the food trays. After some quick instructions, they were on their way.

While Sora carried the lamp, Terran held all four trays. From the way he balanced them on his arms, Sora wondered if Terran worked as a food server. It wouldn't be a surprise. As far as huntsmen go, Terran and Ecru didn't look like they could afford much. He might even assume they did a variety of odd jobs to maintain their weapons and training. Not everyone could afford the expensive combat school Sora went to. But that bothered him as well. Sora's school had annual tournaments with rival schools. Their sloppy fighting did not resemble any school he knew of. Maybe they didn't go to a combat school at all.

It made him wonder. If his assumptions were right, how would their skills fare with certified school training? He considered Celeste's rant about Ecru's shields. Would Ecru have been a more competent Dust-user? What else would they be capable of? It bothered him to the point where he felt bad for telling Terran off about team ROYL. It was possible that he did not know Faunus history.

"Look, Terran," he said awkwardly, "I'm sorry about this afternoon. I shouldn't have yelled at you."

"No, it's alright," Terran replied.

"Does that mean you're not mad?"

"No, I'm not. Yolanda said that you're allowed to have your own opinion," Terran said. "I guess she's right."

Sora blinked, "Yolanda talked to you?"

Terran laughed, "Yeah, she can be quite the chatterbox when she wants to. I was so shocked at first. But she made a good point. No matter how wrong you might be, it's only your opinion."

To refrain from arguing, Sora changed the subject, "The wall looks empty. Where is team SCAR?" As they approached the wall, Sora took out a sword. The reconstruction wasn't very high, so he could see the distant trees on the other side. Beyond that, there could be creatures of the Grimm lurking anywhere. It was quiet, so he peered over the new brick.

"Boo!" someone yelled, jumping out of nowhere.

Sora flinched, slashing at the figure. The person fell on the ground and erupted in laughter. His sharp howls pierced through the air.

"I told ya!" he shrieked, "I told ya I smelled dinner." The sight of the boy unnerved Sora. He had dot black eyes and protruding ears. The lamp made his eyes glow. He was a hyena fauna.

Sora cleared his throat, "Right. We've brought you dinner. My name is Sora, leader of team SYLENT." He reached out to shake hands, but the boy nipped Sora's finger and laughed at what he had done.

"Team SYLENT," another voice echoed, "You are the replacement team, right?" An older guy appeared from behind the wall. He had a round body and an enormous upturned snout of a nose. He was another fauna. "I hope you last longer than the other team did."

The boy on the ground laughed harder.

This annoyed the guy with the snout, "Shut up, Cackel."

"Sorry, Snowball, Sir," the hyena boy responded and moved on to quiet giggle fits. The other members of Team SCAR joined them: a skinny, long-necked woman and a short dark man with tiny claws for hands. They bounded forward and snatched the food trays out of Terran's hands. Terran looked utterly disgusted by them. After all, the whole team consisted of Faunus.

"Right," Sora said, "Good to meet all of you."

"Your dunce henchman doesn't seem to think so," Snowball said. He leaned against the wall and brandished a large, shiny revolver. Sora wasn't sure if it contained regular bullets or Dust bullets. Regular bullets were useless against the Grimm, but people still carried them. Dust bullets seemed more likely. Regardless, the act was a threat.

He turned to Terran, who looked ready to start a fight, "Calm down. We're here to do a job, remember?"

Terran turned to leave and snarled, "Faunus."

Snowball took aim.

"Terran!"

The explosion knocked Terran off his feet. Laughter erupted behind, as Sora rushed to see if his friend was okay. Terran was fine, but the impact made his limps wobbly. He looked like a toddler trying to stand, and team SCAR found this comedic. Waves of laughter crashed in their ears, as Sora and Terran made their way back to the house. Terran was red with anger.

He kept muttering, "Stupid Faunus. Damn animals. Freaks of nature."

Sora sighed. Terran wasn't going to change his view on Faunus soon. Considering the way team SCAR acted, Sora couldn't blame him.

When they reached the house, Ecru ran from the table, "Terran, what happened?"

"Damn Faunus shot at me!" he snapped, nursing his leg. Sora was in such a rush to get them away that he didn't notice the large cut below Terran's knee. Ecru had dropped to her knees to inspect it closer. Goodwitch took one look at him and grinded her teeth. She excused herself and marched out the front door.

Ecru stood up, "I'll get bandages."

"There's no need," Linnet said, "Yue can heal it."

Yue, a girl with white bunny ears, approached Terran with quivering fingers. Terran intimidated her. She knelt down by his leg, whispered a spell, and sprinkled Dust on it. Terran flinched. The spell stung, but it closed the wound until it looked like a scab.

Smiling, Ecru held Yue's hands, "Thank you, Yue."

Yue stared at the floor, "Not all Faunus are bad."

Ecru nodded, "Yeah, they're not."

* * *

Author's Note (You may skip if you wish)

Just for fun, Terran and Ecru's names have meanings.

Terran's name means earth, and his surname (Pauper) is another word for a poor person. His name vaguely means "Dirt Poor."

Ecru is the color of unbleached fabric, which is cheaper than bleached fabric. This is to point out her lower class status along with Terran's. Her surname supports this, as Toile is a cheap material to test design clothes.


	9. Yolanda's Voice

In the morning, Sora and his team walked back to the wall. A sharp whistle on a piece of twine hung around his neck. If their team had any emergency, Goodwitch told them to blow the whistle. While she wanted them to stay close to the wall, she added that the whistle could be heard from three miles away. While Sora knew it was just a safety precaution, he mentally prepared himself for its use. He led his team to the construction site, where Team ROYL awaited. Their exhaustion mirrored each other. Nevertheless, Linnet put on a weary smile.

"Good morning, Team SYLENT," she said, "I hope you guys are well rested."

Sora smiled at her kind gesture, but it was obvious that no one else shared her enthusiasm.

"Good luck," the boy with the curly tail said with a yawn. He and his team dragged their feet back to the house.

There was a ladder to climb over the wall, but the rows of newly laid bricks were low enough for everyone to step over. Everyone had their weapons out, ready to attack if a Grimm should appear, but the place was empty. So, after a couple rounds about the area, team SYLENT sat down. It was a relatively quiet morning until the construction workers arrived. As they worked, the loud pounding of tools and voices attracted Grimm.

Ecru was the first to attack. Her quarterstaff knocked down the first Grimm and struck the second. With a swing, Terran smashed his opponent into a tree. They had trained together so frequently that fighting in close proximity was second nature. On one side, Celeste took the front with her spiked gloves, and Yolanda stayed behind, casting a whirlwind of spells. In comparison, Sora felt he had been paired with the wrong fighter. He and Lukas didn't train together or have complementary powers. He kept bumping into Lukas, and they almost hit each other with their spells.

After an eight-hour shift, team SYLENT was exhausted. Team SCAR arrived late, and they wondered if Ms. Goodwitch noticed. Still, Sora said nothing.

"How was your first day on the job?" Snowball said, "I hope you aren't going to quit. It's only the first day."

"Typical first day," Celeste replied, as if it were nothing, "If you'll excuse us, we'll be going."

Cackel jumped in front of her, leaving only a few inches between them.

"You're really pretty," he said, exposing his sharp teeth, "Why don't you and I meet up and talk?"

"I am out of your league," Celeste said simply, "Now, get out of my way." When he didn't move, she pushed him aside and stepped past. Snowball and the other two burst out laughing. Celeste led her team back to the house.

Before dinner, Goodwitch summoned Yolanda to the kitchen, where four food trays sat.

"You and your partner will bring them to Team SCAR," Goodwitch instructed. Yolanda nodded and then went to get Celeste. No one answered when she knocked on their door. Instead, Celeste's backpack and tights were lying on the bed. Yolanda inched to the bathroom and heard the showerhead running. Her other teammates were in their rooms, and she didn't want to bother them. So, she went into the kitchen, stacked all the trays, and carefully carried them out of the door.

The sky had just gone dark, but the horizon still glowed a faint orange. Yolanda didn't need a lantern, but carrying all four trays was quite a feat. She had to set them down twice before she finally got to the wall.

"Hello there," the short man waved one of his clawed hands to Yolanda. He was slouching before, but in his upright position, he looked like a mouse. "Is there only you, Darling?"

Yolanda nodded and placed the trays on the ground. Cackel and the skinny weasel woman peered up from behind the wall.

"Aw," Cackel groaned, "I thought it was the pretty one." Uninterested, he turned and disappeared from the wall.

"Why are you alone? Where's your partner?" the mouse man persisted.

"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" the weasel woman said.

A voice came from above. "Are you afraid of us?"

Yolanda looked up and spotted Snowball perched on top of the wall. His revolver sat squarely on his lap. She shook her head.

"Then, why won't you talk?" he growled, "Are you too good for us?"

Yolanda shook her head. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"Humans always think they're better than us," Snowball continued, "I don't know why you've chosen to give us the silent treatment, but we find that rude. Don't we, Aureolin? Rat?"

The two climbed over the wall and leapt at Yolanda. She narrowly dodged them, but they still persued her. Having no weapons, Yolanda ran. Aureolin the weasel woman jumped in front of her, blocking her way to the house. Rat was catching up behind. Yolanda bolted to the side, hoping to put enough space between herself and Aureolin to run around them. But the weasel woman kept up with her, and Yolanda soon found herself against the wall. Her voice was stuck in her throat.

"Leave me alone," she said weakly.

Aureolin, Rat, and Snowball were unwavering. Snowball smiled, "Teach her a lesson."

Yolanda had left her stock of Dust at the house. She had no choice. She spread out her fingers toward them. Thin webs of light shot out from her fingertips and connected with Aureolin and Rat. Their bodies froze mid-attack. In a smooth motion, she extended her other hand toward Snowball. The webs sprung out again, but Snowball reacted. His revolver snapped up and took aim. A gunshot rang through the air.

* * *

Celeste entered the kitchen to find Sora by the table.

Sora raised a brow, "Why are you still here? I thought you were supposed to deliver food trays with Yolanda."

"Was I?"

Sora frowned, "The food trays are gone. If you didn't go, who went with her?"

"I don't know," Celeste said, turning back to the hallway. She knocked on everyone's door. Lukas, Ecru, and Terran were still in their rooms. That meant Yolanda must have gone alone. She ran to her room to put on her boots and grab her backpack.

Sora stood up, "What's wrong?"

"She left by herself!" she yelled back. Celeste stomped out the door and was immediately greeted by a loud explosion. A dark Dust cloud covered the wall. She sprinted across the lot. Two figures, coughing and hacking, emerged from the cloud, but neither looked like Yolanda. Celeste slipped out her tome and chanted a spell. The ink symbols shot out, and a gust of wind blew a tunnel into the Dust cloud. In the center, Yolanda lay on the ground. Bits of the wall piled on top of her.

"Wh-what happened?" Sora asked, gasping from behind.

Celeste flipped to a page, "Let me handle this." Several symbols rose from the page and illuminated their surroundings with a dim yellow. She shot a menacing glare at team SCAR, as more ink symbols peeled from the page beneath her fingers.

"No," Sora pressed her hand onto the page. The ink symbols soaked back into the tome. "We have to check on Yolanda."

"But they…"

Sora took her wrist and pulled her to the fading Dust cloud. They removed the brick off of Yolanda. She had a burn on her back, but they couldn't find any major injuries. Just to be safe, they should bring her back to the house.

"Your friend chose to ignore us," Snowball said, "Then, she just attacked us for no reason."

Celeste frowned, "I don't think Yolanda attacks anyone without being provoked."

"Are you suggesting we provoked her?"

"It wouldn't be beneath you."

"Hey, Pretty," Cackel said, appearing at the wall again.

"Blue boy," Snowball said to Sora, "Teach that girl some manners."

"Maybe after you apologize to Yolanda," Sora shot back.

Snowball raised a brow, "Really. All humans are the same. They think they're better than us. If you're looking for a fight, I'd gladly battle the two of you with the four of us."

His teammates surrounded them. Sora could feel their world getting smaller, but this didn't bother Celeste at all.

"Let me handle this," she insisted.

Sora caught her, "No Dust use."

"Sora-"

"No."

Rat's claws protruded from his fingers. Aureolin took out a spear with a curved blade. Cackel just smiled. His sharp, glistening teeth were enough to send shivers down spines. On the wall, Snowball stood up. The barrel of his revolver glared down at them like a hawk. With no other option, Sora took out his swords. Celeste slipped on her gloves. With their backs to Yolanda, they prepared to fight.

"Hold it!" a sharp voice rang in the distance. Ms. Goodwitch, followed by the rest of Team SYLENT, advanced to the wall. Her eyes blazed anger, and she bent her crop so far it almost snapped.

Her voice roared, "Do I need to remind you that you are here to work, not to fight each other? I thought we all understood…" Her voice trailed off. From her lantern, she could see Yolanda. Goodwitch's voice lowered but still kept its sharpness, "We will continue this later. Don't think you're off the hook." She whirled to Terran, "Get Yolanda to the Infirmary."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Lukas and Ecru, guard the wall temporarily."

"Roger!"

"Everyone else," her eyes scalded them, "Return to the house immediately."


End file.
